“Well, shall we go out?”
“No, not now,” said Lupin.
“What are you going to do?”
“The better way is to act frankly ... to have confidence in him—trust him....”
“You will not speak to him?”
“Why not? It will be to my advantage to do so, and find out what he knows, and, perhaps, what he thinks. At present I have the feeling that his gaze is on my neck and shoulders, and that he is trying to remember where he has seen them before.”
He reflected a moment. I observed a malicious smile at the corner of his mouth; then, obedient, I think, to a whim of his impulsive nature, and not to the necessities of the situation, he arose, turned around, and, with a bow and a joyous air, he said:
“By what lucky chance? Ah! I am delighted to see you. Permit me to introduce a friend of mine.”
For a moment the Englishman was disconcerted; then he made a movement as if he would seize Arsène Lupin. The latter shook his head, and said:
“That would not be fair; besides, the movement would be an awkward one and ... quite useless.”